Dataset: Organisms collected on oyster reefs in the Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, TX, USA from 2016 to 2021

Sampling and analytical procedures: Oyster reef communities were assessed using experimental cages or bioboxes (Reustle and Smee 2020). Bioboxes were 0.5 m2 x 0.25 cm tall and consist of a wooden frame that is covered with mesh to exclude fin fish and other large predators or not covered with mesh to act as a control. Twenty liters of sun-bleached oyster shells are added to each biobox, and the biobox is then embedded into an existing oyster reef. Bioboxes were placed in pairs separated by ~3.0 meters with pairs separated by ~100 meters. Groups of cages were placed in the northern Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve near Goose Island State Park in St. Charles Bay and another group near San Jose Island in Aransas Bay. Bioboxes were placed in late April to early May and remained in the field for 6-8 weeks. Modified throw traps were used to collect oyster communities inhabiting each cage or control, and oyster recruitment measured by counting the number of living oysters on a settle stick in each bioboxes.

Known Issues: No problems occurred with the funded research. However, we were using historic data so the dataset is not fully replicated. For example, we do not have exclusion data for 2017 or data from the southern sites in 2018.